Externalities and the Magnitude of Cyber Security Underinvestment by Private Sector Firms: A Modification of the Gordon-Loeb Model
Read full paper at: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=52952#.VK3k_cnQrzE Author(s) Lawrence A. Gordon 1 , Martin P. Loeb 1 , William Lucyshyn 2 , Lei Zhou 1 Affiliation(s) 1 Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, USA . 2 School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park, USA . ABSTRACT Cyber security breaches inflict costs to consumers and businesses. The possibility also exists that a cyber security breach may shut down an entire critical infrastructure industry, putting a nation’s whole economy and national defense at risk. Hence, the issue of cyber security investment has risen to the top of the agenda of business and government executives. This paper examines how the existence of well-recognized externalities changes the maximum a firm should, from a social welfare perspective, invest in cyber security activities. By extending ...